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The Problem: Late on Fastballs
You walk up to the plate and dig in the batter’s box.
The pitcher winds up and throws a fastball right down the middle.
You swing, but you’re late, or worse. You freeze and just watch it go by.
Why?
Because you weren’t ready to hit.
You weren't geared up and ready for the fastball.
You were waiting to see if it was a strike before deciding to swing, and by the time you recognized the pitch, it was already too late for your brain to tell your body to swing.
It takes roughly 400 milliseconds for an average MLB fastball to reach home plate.
It takes about 100 milliseconds for your brain to process the release point.
It takes around 25 milliseconds for your brain to tell your body to swing.
An average MLB swing is about 150 milliseconds.
That means you have about 150 ms to recognize the spin, speed, and location of the ball, to put a quality swing at where you think the ball will be at point-of-contact.
The Solution: Finger on The Swing Trigger
You have to be geared up and ready to hit by anticipating and assuming the next pitch is going to be a strike and you are going to swing.
It’s a strike until it’s not.
Mentality, you have to be thinking “Yes, yes, no” on a ball and “Yes, yes, GO!” on a strike.
The finger is always on the swing trigger.
The assumption is always, “I'm going to swing”
From here, we can adjust and react to the point of contact by keeping a selectively aggressive approach at the plate.
This is a skill that anyone can learn in the Applied Vision Baseball vision training pitch recognition app.
The vision drill is called Swing Trigger and hitters from all ages around the world are training this skill.
How to stop chasing balls out of the zone and do more damage on mistake pitches.
Good hitters do not get cheated by the Fastball.
The Problem: Chasing Bad Pitches and Pop Flys
You're chasing balls in the dirt, hitting weak pop-flys, or getting beat on elevated fastballs.
When I ask most young hitters what their approach is at the plate, they just shrug their shoulders, or worse, they say it’s “see ball, hit ball”.
Brutal.
If you don't have a plane, you’re hosed.
If you don't have an approach that adjusts to the situation, you’re hosed.
The Solution: Posting Up
I have never seen you step in the batter’s box but I can almost guarantee you 70% of your swinging strikeouts are chasing balls out of the zone.
The key is to start looking for and be aggressive on pitches up in the zone. The same way you look away and adjust in is the same way you can look up and adjust down.
What does this approach do…
A Curveball or slider that starts below the waste will be in the dirt at point of contact.
A Curveball that starts above the waist will end up in the zone at point of contact.
By hunting pitches up in the zone, we will no longer be susceptible to the breaking down in the zone.
This improves your plate discipline.
Now, when the pitcher makes a mistake on a pitch with an elevated Fastaball or hanging breaking ball, you do damage.
Ever since a pitcher is nine years old they’re taught to do what?
Keep the ball down.
Why?
Because a pitch up in the zone is an easier pitch to hit.
You should be doing damage in this zone.
Some of your furthest balls will be the hanging breaking able and chest-high fastball.
But you have to be looking for it.
Hunt pitches up in the zone, and when you get a porch you can handle, do damage.
You can train this skill in the Applied Vision Baseball vision training pitch recognition app with our Post-Up Vision Drills.
Win More At-Bats With Applied Vision Baseball
In a game loaded with failure, your ability to be confident and stay confident independent of results will dictate how far you make it in this game. If the only way you can develop trust in your abilities is by getting a hit, you're hosed.
You have to learn to build confidence by doing things that are within your control.
Process, preparation, and competing.
This is how you begin to Win The At-Bat.
By competing with a plan, and then executing the plan.
Imagine if you could just master one of these concepts, how much more improve your performance at the plate will be.
The beautiful thing about this is it requires zero talent to understand and implement them.
It’s a choice you make about your craft as a hitter.
Choose wisely.
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